Report: Springfield ranks low among best cities for runners

A new report indicates Springfield isn't overly favorable for runners, a metric that could be boosted as city officials focus more on quality of place.

Springfield ranked No. 144 out of 181 cities examined for the Lawn Love report, released last week. The report measures a variety of factors, such as running access and quality, access to supplies such as sporting goods and shoe stores, affordability, safety and climate.

The Queen City's individual rankings:
• running access rank: No. 93;
• running quality rank: No. 153;
• supply access rank: No. 131;
• affordability rank: No. 158;
• community rank: No. 112;
• safety rank: No. 99; and
• climate rank: No. 134.

Springfield has an overall score of 29.9 out of a possible 100 points, according to the report.

Lawn Love spokesperson John Schmidt has said the company conducts studies of places in order "to do research on the cities and locales in which we operate or plan to operate and explore different topics that consumers might find interesting and learn a thing or two about their hometown."

No. 1 on the best cities for runners list is San Francisco, with 53.4 points, followed by Portland, Oregon, at 52.7, and San Diego, at 51.6.

As to the quality of place development efforts in Springfield, May 19 marked the ceremonial start of construction for the Grant Avenue Parkway project. The 3-mile stretch is designed to include bike- and pedestrian-friendly routes, among other initiatives, according to past reporting. The project also seeks to close trail network gaps.